King Creole (1958) (Paramount Presents) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Michael Curtiz

Cast: Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau

Release Date: April 21, 2020

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

Elvis Presley brings a new beat to Bourbon Street in KING CREOLE; presented here newly remastered from a 4K film transfer. Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, White Christmas), Elvis plays a troubled youth whose singing sets the French Quarter rockin’. With a sweet girl to love him and nightclubbers cheering, it looks like he’ll shake off his past and head for the top. But a mobster (Walter Matthau) and his man-trap moll (Carolyn Jones) could snare him into a life of crime.

You can also read our Blu-ray review(s) of other titles from the Paramount Presents Blu-ray line below!

Paramount Presents #1: Fatal Attraction (1987) (Blu-ray Review)

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The late 50’s Elvis film classic ‘King Creole’ accompanies a troubled youth who after failing to graduate decides to concentrate his efforts on working. Tempted by fast cash working as a goon, or suffering through real work to earn an honest buck, circumstances soon provide him a chance to sing on stage, something that was merely a dream before now. But the temptations he faces after his initial chance only become even harder to resist. Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, White Christmas) and featuring a solid cast that includes Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dolores Hart, Dean Jagger and more, the 1958 black and white classic ‘King Creole’ still delivers plenty of tense, touching and toe-tapping fun more than sixty years later; still celebrated as one of Elvis Presley’s finest performances.

The second entry in Paramount Home Entertainment’s new collectible ‘Paramount Presents’ line of numbered Blu-ray releases celebrating some of the studios’ most notable film classics over the decades from their expansive library is the Elvis classic ‘King Creole’ which makes a welcome addition to the lineup. Arguably Elvis’s best film and acting performance among many fans due to its thematic nature and it serving as one of the few films in his acting career where he’s provided an opportunity to show what he’s actually capable of (while still showcasing his musical talent naturally), even working alongside acting great Walter Matthau who shines as the film’s key antagonist. It’s an enjoyable and generally solid film that actually focuses on the story above the music and benefits immensely from it. Now back on Blu-ray as the second installment in Paramount’s new ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray line, ready to rock its way into the hearts of a new generation. As far as the merits of the release’s quality are concerned, this new collectible ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of ‘King Creole’ brings the classic and fan favorite Elvis film home with a great new high definition video presentation from a newly remastered 4K film source, paired with a more than capable audio presentation and collectible artwork/slipcase that should largely satisfy the fans.

Overall, the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of the fan-favorite Elvis film classic ‘King Creole’ brings the black and white film back home on Blu-ray as the second entry in the new Blu-ray line of film classics from the studio’s expansive library. The release features a brand new video presentation which has been newly remastered from a 4K film transfer and looks quite spectacular, joined by solid audio presentation options (Dolby TrueHD 5.1 or restored English Mono) and the ‘Paramount Presents’ standard collectible packaging/artwork. It may be somewhat lacking when it comes to bonus content, but in every other department this new ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of ‘King Creole’ delivers quite splendidly. It’s definitely recommended for diehard Elvis fans who don’t mind double dipping for the new video presentation, along with the fans who don’t already own the film and those trying to collect each title in the numbered Paramount Presents Blu-ray line.

VIDEO:

The new ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of ‘King Creole’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation of the film in its original black and white format from a new 4K film transfer, featuring a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. This newly remastered video presentation looks pretty fantastic as a whole and offers the classic Elvis film in all of its original black and white glory. Featuring nicely deep and noteworthy blacks that contrast splendidly with the lighter elements and providing a sharp, clean and nicely detailed picture throughout. It retains its share of grain and other film elements representative of its source material, while still managing a nice balance that never results in things getting overwhelmingly noisy either. Overall, this is a quite impressive new high definition video presentation from Paramount that fans of this classic film and of Elvis in general should be quite pleased with.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, as well as the option to view with its Restored Mono soundtrack. The audio presentations each have their own charms and offer more than worthy audio presentations of this film classic that do a great job of offering a clean, sharp and smooth audio presentation for this black and white classic from the 50’s. It admirably balances the crowd chatter, key dialogue and music along with the various other effects, never allowing any one element to contradict or conflict with another and offering a crisp, capable audio presentation from start to finish that never disappoints or falters in its job; as well as allowing some music elements and crowd chatter to expand into the surrounding channels for the TrueHD 5.1 presentation. Overall, these audio presentations perfectly compliment the onscreen fun and excitement and hold up without issue throughout.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The new ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of ‘King Creole’ comes with the line’s collectible packaging which includes a slipcase that opens up with the original theatrical poster for the movie, plus behind the scenes photos decorating the case’s interior. We’ve also included a ‘Beauty Shot’ of the packaging from the studio at the bottom of the review. The disc itself includes one brand new extra: ‘Filmmaker Focus: King Creole’ (running approximately 6 minutes in length) which features Leonard Maltin discussing the classic Elvis picture. The release also offers the option of playing the film’s songs directly by selecting the corresponding scenes.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 7/10

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‘King Creole’; Own the 1958 Elvis Presley Classic – Now Available as part of the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray line from Paramount Home Entertainment

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